Always There
by ilovek8walsh
Summary: Maura has her special place to help her feel safe.


**A/N:** I decided to hit two birds with one stick with this one. I had to write a short story for English class and decided I'd attempt my first Rizzoli & Isles fanfic at the same time. So I still have a while before I need to hand this is in so any comments on how to make it better would be great. Also it is short because I have a 1000 word limit and it is actually 999 so I don't have much space to change things. Oh and sorry if it's a bit out of character too. Anyway, I will stop rambling now and I would really appreciate all comments and I'd really love to know what you all think.

Thanks, Heather :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything but the story idea.

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It was late morning and Maura was sat on the same bench she found herself sitting on every Sunday. The old, wooden bench was in the park which was only a short walk from her apartment. She would come here with her warm cup of coffee and escape her chaotic life. It was hidden away in the back corner of the park, a place most did not know existed. It was her peaceful place. A place where she could feel everything she used to feel. She would just sit and let her mind drift to the moments she had shared here with the person she had grown to love as her best friend. She always felt safe here, just like she used to when she was with Jane. As Maura sat, wrapping her hands around the coffee cup, finding warmth on the cold winter day, she remembered the day they had first discovered their place.

_Maura had stumbled across this secluded corner of the park with her friend, Jane, one spring afternoon. They were strolling aimlessly through the park, the same way they often found themselves doing, when they saw a path that neither had noticed before and decided to investigate, curiosity getting the better of them. The winding path they followed was surrounded by flowers of various shades of pale pink and white. Beams of sun light broke through the canopy the trees above had created reflecting off of the leaves of the flowers making it feel like some sort of picturesque fairytale. _

_As they reached the end of the path they both grew silent. Jane and Maura were rooted to their spot, in awe of the view before them. From the other end of the path you would have never expected to see something so spectacular. It was a cherry blossom tree. But this wasn't just any old tree, it was stunning. Maura felt as though she was in a dream. She was standing with her new found best friend just staring at the candy-floss pink blossom tumbling gracefully from the tree all around them and blanketing the ground beneath them, like the first flakes of snow in the winter. Jane was first to break the silence. _

"_This is..." _

"_I know, it is just so..." Maura trailed off unable to find words to describe what she was feeling. What they were feeling. They shared a look, grinning at each other, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. The sight before them was just too amazing for words to describe. Maura caught a glimpse of something out the corner of her eye and broke their eye contact, turning her head to see what it was while Jane followed her gaze curiously. It was an old, wooden bench pointing at the tree. It was perfect. Wordlessly they both moved towards the bench and sat down. They fell into a comfortable silence for a while, just basking in their new found tranquillity._

Maura was suddenly awoken from her day dream by a gust of wind that sent a new chill through her body. She shivered and took a long drink of her coffee in an attempt to warm herself up again. As she sat on the bench she looked at the tree in front of here. It was now winter and Maura noted that the cherry blossom had been replaced with glistening snow which caused her to slip back into her day dreaming.

_Jane and Maura walked through the park that had become so familiar to them as snow flakes danced around them, moving to a melody only they could hear. All of a sudden Jane bent down and gathered a handful of snow, shaping it into a ball, before playfully tossing it in the direction of her friend. Maura gasped as the cold snow hit her, but the shock quickly passed as she too threw a snowball at her friend. Soon there was a full on snowball fight between them which only ended when Jane fell over and Maura tripped over her. They were lying side by side in the snow in fits of laughter when Maura began to move her arms and legs to make a snow angel. _

A smile graced Maura's lips as she thought about the day she had spent with Jane in the snow and that night when they sat on the couch watching old movies while drinking hot chocolate with the mini marshmallows in it that Jane loved so much.

It was these memories that helped Maura through the days, the weeks, the months. These memories filled with fun and the happiest times of her life that would help her though the many years to come. She knew it would never be the same but, like clockwork, she found herself sitting on the bench, their bench, week after week, month after month. In wind, in rain, in snow, she was there. However it was hard for Maura to be strong when everything around her held no hope for the future. The frost had killed all the plants over winter and the tree was left bare.

Soon the seasons began to change and a harsh winter faded into a fresh spring around Maura. The true sign that spring had arrived for Maura was the glimpse of pink that began to sprout from the branches of the cherry blossom tree. The pale pink petals multiplied until the tree Maura remembered from her day dreaming only a few months ago once appeared in front of her eyes once again. She stared at the tree with renewed strength as the memories she held of Jane consumed her once again. Just as the cherry blossom tree would grace her with its beauty, she would be forever graced with the memory of Jane.

Maura wandered down the path covered by the newly bloomed spring canopy once again to the security and peace of the cherry blossom tree and the bench. It was her place. It was their place.


End file.
